Benjamin Ncangu
This research project is part of the fight against invasive species and the restoration of forest ecosystems in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP). It will be carried out in the highland part of KBNP, a World Heritage Site since 1997, due to anthropogenic pressure on the park's natural resources following repeated wars in eastern DRC.
This forest ecosystem is deteriorating as a result of anthropic pressure (exogenous factors) and endogenous factors such as the spread of the invasive liana Sericostachys scandens and the resulting tree mortality. This native, heliophilous, and invasive liana smothers the trees by covering their crowns. The resulting tree mortality creates favourable clearings for the development of this liana and other herbaceous plants that inhibit the germination and development of tree species characteristic of mountain forests.
Setting up nurseries and maintaining seedlings until they are transplanted to selected sites, particularly clearings caused by treefall due to the invasion of Sericostachys scandens. ©PolePole Foundation.
The resulting degradation of the forest leads to disturbances in intraspecific interactions (development cycle: growth, reproduction) and interspecific interactions (relationships between plants and with other organisms belonging to the different kingdoms of the living world).
Through this project, we aim to carry out active restoration by collecting seeds of local forest species, germinating them in nurseries, and replanting them in the clearings. Before replanting, we will prepare the land by removing the invasive liana, carrying out assisted natural regeneration (maintenance to ensure good growth of existing seedlings), and transplanting seedlings from the nurseries. Once the seedlings have been transplanted, we will carry out monthly maintenance on the reforested areas until the seedlings are well developed and able to shade the ground to inhibit the development of this invasive liana.
This project will allow for the continuation and expansion of forest restoration activities in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, a World Heritage Site and an exceptional habitat for a variety of species, including animals such as the eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri), a species endemic to the region and the only place where it is accustomed to human presence, and the eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii).
These forest ecosystems are not only the habitat of these primates. They also represent the source of their subsistence (food, medicine, etc.). In brief, the survival of these iconic and endemic species of the KBNP depends on the balance and stability of these forests. This restoration project will therefore strengthen the conservation and sustainable management of the biodiversity of this World Heritage in Danger site in particular, and of the Eastern Afromontane hotspot in general.
Header image: Labelling young trees during inventory work and establishing permanent plots to monitor vegetation dynamics in degraded areas of Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP), around Tshivanga sector. © Benjamin Ncangu"